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Joseph I

(Encyclopedia)Joseph I, 1678–1711, Holy Roman emperor (1705–11), king of Hungary (1687–1711) and of Bohemia (1705–11), son and successor of Leopold I. Joseph became Holy Roman emperor in the midst of the Wa...

Berchtold, Leopold, Graf von

(Encyclopedia)Berchtold, Leopold, Graf von lāˈōpôlt gräf fən bĕrkhˈtôlt [key], 1863–1942, Austro-Hungarian foreign minister (1912–15). During the Balkan Wars he successfully worked for the creation of ...

Le Verrier, Urbain Jean Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Le Verrier, Urbain Jean Joseph ürbăNˈ zhäN zhôzĕfˈ ləvĕryāˈ [key], 1811–77, French astronomer who made calculations that led to the discovery of the planet Neptune. In considering the per...

Taaffe, Eduard, Graf von

(Encyclopedia)Taaffe, Eduard, Graf von āˈdo͞oärt gräf fən täˈfə [key], 1833–95, Austrian premier (1868–70, 1879–93), of Irish descent. A childhood friend of Emperor Francis Joseph, he was twice premi...

Vatican Council, First

(Encyclopedia)Vatican Council, First, 1869–70, the 20th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church (see council, ecumenical), renowned chiefly for its enunciation of the doctrine of papal infallibility. Tw...

Zimmermann note

(Encyclopedia)Zimmermann note, secret telegram sent on Jan. 16, 1917, by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to the United States. In it Zimmermann said ...

Lavater, Johann Kaspar

(Encyclopedia)Lavater, Johann Kaspar yōˈhän käsˈpär läˈvätər, läväˈtər [key], 1741–1801, Swiss theologian and mystic. He wrote several books on metaphysics, but he is chiefly remembered for his work...

Lambert, Johann Heinrich

(Encyclopedia)Lambert, Johann Heinrich yōˈhän hīnˈrĭkh lämˈbĕrt [key], 1728–77, German-French philosopher and scientist, b. Alsace. He developed many basic concepts in mathematics, including that of the ...

Mendel, Gregor Johann

(Encyclopedia)Mendel, Gregor Johann grāˈgôr yōˈhän mĕnˈdəl [key], 1822–84, Austrian monk noted for his experimental work on heredity. He entered the Augustinian monastery in Brno in 1843, taught at a loc...

Merck, Johann Heinrich

(Encyclopedia)Merck, Johann Heinrich yōˈhän hīnˈrĭkh mĕrk [key], 1741–91, German critic. He was the counselor of many young writers, including Goethe, whose genius he was first to recognize. ...